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Sapporo

Sapporo had decided to reposition its brand to appeal to a wider audience via an integrated media campaign entitled Design the Night. The company knew it would need a visually stunning gift that could be presented at its events as part of this campaign. A limited edition Moleskine notebook was the obvious choice.

Sapporo's attention to excellent design is central to their brand. Their beverage packaging is unique and unmistakable, comprising a sleek, curved piece of sculpture--the Design the Night campaign highlighted this strong, iconic design as the heart of Sapporo's brand message. Sapporo felt that customizing a Moleskine notebook, the preferred choice of artists and designers, was a great way to emphasize its commitment to good design.

Sapporo came to the table with several ideas focused around a single element: the koi fish tattoo. This elegant graphic, representing the Japanese carp, a traditional symbol of luck and good fortune, was the central visual icon of the Design the Night campaign. Several different project sketches were considered for Sapporo's customized Moleskine, featuring multiple treatments of the koi element.

In the end, Sapporo and Moleskine settled on a project that covered the front cover of a large, ruled notebook with a debossed koi image in black foil, with the Sapporo name and trademark centrally located on a cream-colored paper band. Debossing is the height of the printer's craft, requiring him to forge a special brass die for each individual design. The die is heated and pressed into the cover of notebook, creating the impressive visual presentation that can be seen on the Sapporo koi notebook. Color foil can be added to punch up the design--in the case of the Sapporo notebook black foil provided the koi fish image with extra depth and clarity.

This impressive design is currently making the rounds of Sapporo's busy event schedule, finding its way into the hands and hearts of celebrity guests at New York Fashion Week 2007, the MTV Video Music Awards, motion picture premieres and after parties.